Pricing and availability

* Product prices and availability are updated by Equipboard every 24hrs and are subject to change. Equipboard may receive compensation for purchases made at participating retailers linked on this site. This compensation does not affect what products or prices are displayed, or the order of prices listed. For more information, please refer to our affiliate disclosure.

Description

Experience professional-grade mixing with the Solid State Logic SL 4000. As a staple in the world of studio recording gear, this mixer is renowned for its transformative impact on music production. Featuring the legendary SSL 4000 E/G console circuitry, this mixer delivers unparalleled sound quality and precision. The SL 4000 is ideal for both seasoned professionals and aspiring audio engineers looking to elevate their sound.

With its intuitive interface, this mixer offers seamless integration with both digital and analog setups, providing versatility that can adapt to any studio environment. The SL 4000 is equipped with VCA group technology, allowing for dynamic control and flexibility during live sessions or studio recordings. Its robust build promises durability, ensuring that it remains a cornerstone in your studio for years to come.

Musicians and producers alike will appreciate the SSL 4000's ability to handle complex mixes with ease, thanks to its comprehensive range of inputs and outputs. The mixer’s precise EQ and dynamics control allow for detailed sound shaping, empowering you to craft the perfect sonic landscape.

Key Features:

  • SSL 4000 E/G console circuitry for superior sound quality
  • VCA group technology for advanced dynamic control
  • Intuitive interface compatible with digital and analog setups
  • Extensive inputs and outputs for versatile connectivity
  • Precise EQ and dynamics control for detailed sound shaping
  • Robust build designed for durability and long-term use
Chad B

Chad B

The SSL 4000 Recording Console - Part 1 - The Channel Strip Tutorial

Video thumbnail for The SSL 4000 Recording Console - Part 1 - The Channel Strip Tutorial by Chad B

The SSL 4000 Recording Console - Part 1 - The Channel Strip Tutorial

Chad B

Chad B

Reviews

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Solid State Logic SL 4000.

Comparisons

  • UAD's SSL plugin is favored for its midrange clarity and mixing capabilities, especially on drums and rhythm guitars, compared to Waves and Plugin Alliance versions.

    Source
  • While similar plugins are available, users note that variations between emulations from different manufacturers offer unique tonal qualities, mimicking real console channel differences.

    Source
  • The SSL 4K B is unique with no other emulation available, offering a warmer, vintage feel likened to a Neve console.

    Source

User experience

  • Owners frequently use the UAD SSL as a mixing tool rather than a preamp, citing its aggressive sound profile as beneficial for drums.

    Source
  • Acustica Audio's Sand plugin is highly praised for sound quality but criticized for high CPU usage, making it demanding on systems.

    Source

Features and functionality

  • The UAD SSL version now supports native use, relieving previous DSP limitations for users with Apollo hardware.

    Source
  • The SSL 4000 channel strip plugin replicates EQ, compressor, gate, and filter functions from the original SSL 4000 console, providing comprehensive sound shaping in one tool.

    Source
  • The SSL 4K B includes a preamp drive knob and a de-esser within the dynamics section.

    Source

Software and compatibility

  • The UAD SSL plugin integrates with UC1, with hopes for future Luna console and summing extensions by users.

    Source
  • The free SSL 360° software integrates all SSL Native channel strips into a single interface, similar to Harrison Mixbus or Waves’ CLA MixHub, enhancing workflow.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • Users found value in UAD's pricing bundles, enabling acquisition of multiple high-end plugins at reduced costs.

    Source
  • Prices vary significantly between brands, with Waves offering it at $30 and others up to $400, reflecting perceived differences in quality and features.

    Source
  • SSL 4K B is free for UC1 controller owners, while the 4K G is discounted at $49 for UF8/UC1 owners.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • It's commonly applied after recording and before final mastering, often used on each channel for analog flavor and dynamic control.

    Source
  • The SSL 4000 is valued for its routing flexibility, supporting tasks like sidechaining, de-essing, and band-selective compression, making it versatile for various mixing needs.

    Source

Other

  • Kiive’s KStrip offers a competitive alternative, combining SSL, Neve, and API modules with linked settings and additional features like auto-gain and a transient shaper.

    Source

5.0 out of 5

Based on 1 Review and 7 Ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
sonounexcapellone

Use it for nearly everything I do in the studio

Well actually I do not own a whole SSL console (def don't have that kind of money...) but I have a channel strip unit with 2 channels from the original console. I use it for recording but also for summing stems or entire songs during my mix sessions. I use its eq and comp a lot, but even if you bypass everything and just track something after sending it through this beauty you will enrich it significantly. Can't say anything less than "amazing" for SSL. It's just great

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Paul McCartney uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Paul McCartney

Singer, Bassist

The Beatles

...
Verified via Hog Hill Mill Blog

Paul McCartney is associated with the Solid State Logic SL 4000 E Series Console #1 and #2, as mentioned in the "Keyboards & Samplers" section of the Hog Hill Mill Blog.

See how Dr. Dre uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Dr. Dre

Rapper, Music Producer

Soul Assassins

...
Verified via Funktasy

Tupac’s All Eyez on Me (1996) was mixed on the SSL 4000 and Dr. Dre, among others, used it regularly to put together his mixes.

See how Martin Solveig uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Martin Solveig

Music Producer

Africanism All Stars

...
Verified via Photo

In this picture martin is working in the studio using the ssl 4000 desk

See how Jay-Z uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Jay-Z

Rapper, Music Producer

Roc-A-Fella Family

...
Verified via Soundonsound

"The studio has two rooms: Studio A downstairs, with an SSL 9000, where Kanye had a lockout, and Studio B upstairs, with an SSL 4000"

This is Jay-Z's producer talking about Jay Z's studio, Roc the Mic, and the equipment they use in it

See how Al Jourgensen uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Al Jourgensen

Guitarist, Keyboardist

Ministry

...
Verified via Mixonline

The studio also recently acquired an SSL 4040G console, which has been commissioned in Studio A. Purchased through Primal Gear in Nashville, the console’s former owner is Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen.

See how Young Guru uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Young Guru

Music Producer, DJ

1500 or Nothin’

...
Verified via Grammy

"An SSL is my favorite board. Not to say I don't like Neve or API boards, it's just what I prefer, I like an SSL 4000."

See how DJ Quik uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

DJ Quik

Rapper, Music Producer

The Fixxers

...
Verified via Photo

The songs on 2Pac's All Eyez on Me album were mixed on the SSL 4000 E mixing console.

See how Kate Bush uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Kate Bush

Singer, Keyboardist

...
Verified via Gaffa

According to Del Palmer (who would be the guy who would know this stuff...) Kate's studio was equipped this console.

See how 2Pac uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

2Pac

Rapper, Composer

Outlawz

...
Verified via All Microphone

In a series of Gearslutz forum replies, engineer Paul Arnold details how he used an SSL-E preamp for the recording of "Outlaw" and some tracks recorded at Soundcastle, adding that he later used an SSL-G preamp for other tracks on Me Against the World and Thug Life, Volume I. An October 26, 2017 All Microphone article also offers "For the majority of his recordings for Death Row Records Tupac would use a vintage Neumann U87. This would be fed into a Neve or SSL 4k preamp and a Studer® A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder."

Gearslutz, paultools, April 10, 2009

I recorded Pac with a U-87 through a SSL-E preamp and compressor at Quad Studios in NYC for the song "Outlaw" from MATW.

Later, I recorded him using an AKG 414 through an SSL-G preamp and either the onboard compressor or a dbx 160 for other songs from MATW and Thug Life at the Enterprise.

Also used a 414 through an SSL-E at Soundcastle.

I wound up mixing some other stuff that was cut using a U47 through what I suspect was an LA 2.

Gearslutz, paultools, April 14, 2009

I remember my first time recording him.

I had worked for a time with a brilliant producer, Moe Z MD. we were working on an album for another Interscope artist, and Tom Whalley heard some of Moe's tracks and liked them. This led to an opportunity to do a remix of the Thug Life song "From the Cradle to the Grave". We did the remix at Soundcastle in LA and by the end of the week, Moe and I were in NYC with Pac. The remix replaced the version that was to go on the album. I like them both.

Moe and I arrived at Quad Studios in the mid-afternoon, and soon, the room was filled with energy as Pac arrived with his nephews/cousins in tow. Upon meeting him, Pac would make you feel like you'd been friends forever! We wasted little time, as Pac had identified a beat from A DAT that he wanted to make a song from.

We tracked the beat from Moe's Roland W-30 and Emu SP-1200 as Pac rehearsed the parts with his family. I set up a U-87 and patched it into the SSL preamp, added a touch of the onboard compressor, and bussed it out to multiple channels of the Studer multitrack. Pac hit the booth and cut 3 quick passes for his vocals and some adlibs... about 15-20 minutes total. He could jump into character in an instant, and was very expressive as he performed his verses. His energy was contagious.

One by one, he brought the other rappers into the booth and coached them through their parts. This group was originally to be called the Young Thugs and then Dramacydal, but later changed their name to the Outlawz. We spent a few minutes recording the kid's voice in the intro, and then the Jamaican parts for the chorus and the end which was later edited off.

A food run was made, and soon everyone crashed except for Moe and me, as we spent much time and effort bouncing quarters off the floor and sampling them for the simulated shells hitting the street throughout the song. I spent a few hours putting a mix together, printed it to DAT and 1/2 " and we called it a day.

The resulting song is the last one on MATW, "Outlaw". I did a quick recall of the mix at the Enterprise in order to shorten he song and to make a few tweaks. I regret not raising Pac's whispered vocal parts just a little, especially on the end breakdown. His "narrative" at the end of the song is totally off the top and one take... the kind of stuff that demonstrated his brilliance.

Gearslutz, paultools, April 15, 2009

I loved the way he did his stacks, cause he gave each one something different... a little different expression or emotional twist. Every pass was a performance, not just another take.

I panned them slightly to the left and right and put them just underneath the main level-wise, but also did automation rides to catch certain parts, and might mult them off for a certain EQ or effect on certain words or phrases (like on "may God forgive me I was HIGH..." in Outlaw).

I also used a modified preset on the Eventide H3000 harmonizer called "Magic Air" as the primary effect on his voice for "space" in lieu of reverb, although certain mixes had plenty of reverb on his voice as well ("Only Fear of Death").

See how Duke Dumont uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Duke Dumont

Music Producer, DJ

...
Verified via YouTube

Throughout this YouTube video, Dumont is seen seated in front of the console and using it in points of the video

See how Trevor Horn uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Trevor Horn

Singer, Bassist

Yes

...
Verified via Soundonsound

This article includes a photo of Trevor Horn at an SSL 4000E console.

See how Ice Cube uses Solid State Logic SL 4000

Ice Cube

Rapper, Composer

Da Lench Mob

...
Verified via YouTube

The sound of the Lethal Injection album is intended to be completely identical to the sound of Dr. Dre's The Chronic album, so the same mixing console was used for mixing.

Album Usage

The Solid State Logic SL 4000 has been featured on the following albums:

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Solid State Logic SL 4000, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

Yamaha NS-10M
Yamaha NS-10M Active & Passive Monitors
2
Roland D-550
Roland D-550 Synthesizers & Sound Modules
2
Ableton Live
Ableton Live DAW Software
2
API 550B
API 550B Effects Processors
1
Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7 Synthesizers
1
Fairlight CMI
Fairlight CMI Synthesizers
1
Yamaha TX802
Yamaha TX802 Synthesizers & Sound Modules
1
Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter
Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter Synthesizers & Sound Modules
1

Community setups

Show yours
wanya7

wanya7

Gear IQ 1822

More Solid State Logic Mixers

Solid State Logic Six

$1,006.00 - $1,499.99

# 29

Rank

Wes Borland Richard Devine Espen Kraft
4 artists using
Solid State Logic Matrix²

$12,288.49 - $20,999.99

 
Lady Gaga Deniz Koyu Daniel Miller
6 artists using

Similar

Gear Guides